By Mphatso Banda
Authorities at Kamuzu Central hospital in Lilongwe have lamented underfunding which they say is stifling service delivery at the facility.
The concern had been highlighted during a high-level engagement on Wednesday where stakeholders were reviewing how to improve on financial health facilities.
Speaking to local media, Jonathan Ngoma, Director at Kamuzu Central Hospital said for instance, despite the fact that the facility needs at least 250 Million Kwacha per year, it has been funded with 52 Million Kwacha.
He since then backed calls for the need for people to now start paying for services in public hospitals as proposed by a special law commission on the review of Malawi’s health act.
Kamuzu Central Hospital, is the leading public health service referral and tertiary care facility for the central region with 43 % of the Malawian population.
Its services represent more than 300 000 contacts with patients annually, of which 45 000 are dealt with on as in-patient basis.
KCH also performs a major function in the in-service training of medical and nursing professionals.
The hospital is also responsible for district supportive supervisions to impact knowledge that improves service delivery.
The hospital also boasts significant collaborations with academic and medical research stakeholders, nationally and internationally.
